The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for assisting in the driving of a vehicle.
Conventionally, an apparatus that uses lane keeping assist (LKA) to assist in driving is known. This device recognizes lane division lines, such as a white line, placed on a road surface and determines a lane used as a target track for the host vehicle, and assists in driving such that the host vehicle is caused to travel along the lane.
A lane division line on a road surface may not be recognizable, for example, due to discontinuity or fading of the lane division line on the road surface, the color of the road surface, reflection from the road surface. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-206275 describes an example of a system (driving assistance apparatus) that is able to identify a target track for the host vehicle by recognition of lane division lines and is able to identify one by the traveling track of a preceding vehicle as well.
This system includes, as first travel control means, travel control means for causing the host vehicle to travel along a lane (track) determined based on lane division lines recognized by a lane division line (lane mark) recognizing section. This system also includes, as second travel control means, travel control means for controlling the traveling of the host vehicle such that the host vehicle follows a preceding vehicle recognized by a preceding-vehicle recognizing section. This system exerts automatic driving control for the host vehicle by switching between the first travel control means and the second travel control means. Therefore, for example, when a lane division line can no longer be recognized, this system (driving assistance apparatus) switches the target for the host vehicle to follow from the lane division line to a preceding vehicle, thus continuing keeping assistance.